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A genocidal war is a type of conflict where mass violence is systematically directed toward the extermination, elimination, or severe oppression of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. Unlike conventional wars where battles are fought between armed forces, genocidal wars involve the deliberate targeting of civilians with the intention of destroying a specific group.
Genocidal wars are often associated with ideologies of racial purity, nationalism, or religious extremism. The term is closely linked to genocide, defined by the UN Genocide Convention (1948) as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.
Key Characteristics of a Genocidal War
| Feature | Description |
| Target | Civilians belonging to specific ethnic, religious, or national groups |
| Intent | Complete or partial extermination of the group |
| Tactics | Mass killings, forced displacement, sexual violence, destruction of culture |
| Ideology | Often based on racial, religious, or political hatred |
| Legal Term | Defined under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention |
Examples of Genocidal Wars in History
| Conflict | Location | Time Period | Targeted Group(s) | Estimated Deaths |
| Holocaust (WWII) | Europe | 1941–1945 | Jews, Roma, disabled, others | ~6 million Jews |
| Rwandan Genocide | Rwanda | 1994 | Tutsi | ~800,000 |
| Bosnian War | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1992–1995 | Bosniak Muslims | ~100,000 (including 8,000 in Srebrenica) |
| Armenian Genocide | Ottoman Empire | 1915–1917 | Armenians | ~1.5 million |
| Cambodian Genocide | Cambodia | 1975–1979 | Educated classes, minorities | ~2 million |
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